Towards the Future
by Kittyunknown
Summary: Placed during Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex. A man tried to live without his past, but never sees the truth around him in the present.
1. Chapter 1

Placed during Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex. Please R&R.

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There was a time it would have never mattered. But that was in the past, and the only thing Aaron could afford to think about was the future. It's what kept him going, to where, he couldn't figure out.

He scratched unconsciously at his right arm, a reminder of his past. He raised the artificial arm, turning it this way and that, watching the perfect skin stretch and move slightly. It looked just like his real arm once looked. He clenched the metal fist, if he wanted, that hand could tear thru a car door.

He dropped his gaze to the sidewalk, watching each step he took, not stepping on any of the cracks. "If only life was this easy." He mused to himself. Each step could be made with careful precision, always under control. That's how Aaron liked his life, no surprises, under complete control.

He glanced up the dark street, a light rain starting to come down the shadowed street. He glanced to the other side of the road, there where only a few cars passing up and down the street. He looked at the bright neon sign, his favorite late night tavern.

He crossed the now empty street, opening up the glass door to the dim interior of the bar. The place was always close to empty; he honestly did not know how the owner could pay rent with so few customers. But that was another mans trouble, not his own.

He made his way to the empty counter, sitting on a tall bar stool. The man behind the counter walked up to him, smiling. "Aaron! It has been awhile since the last time you came into my place." He ran a hand through his dark black hair, scratching at the back of his neck. "As I seem to remember, it's a bottle of vodka and a lonely shot glass."

"Yeah, I am not use to much company Hank." Aaron laughed, scratching his arm lightly again. "But you know what, put out another shot glass, if no one claims it, you can have it when ever you get off."

Hank laughed, showing off his yellowing teeth, "now that's a wager I don't mind taking." He set out the clear bottle and two shot glasses. And then moved over to another customer farther down the dark wood counter.

Aaron was just tipping the first shot to his lips when someone coughed behind him. Aaron drained the shot before turning around, to see a man standing behind him. "Yeah?" he asked, trying not to scowl at the man. His eyes met the man's one eye; the other was just a piece of black metal. Aaron's gaze became more friendlier, another person that had lost something of himself.

"It's nothing, I just over heard you saying something about a free shot glass." He smiled lightly, offering his hand to Aaron. Aaron couldn't help but grin himself, shaking the man's hand hard.

"That was the wager, old man Hank won't be happy with you stealing the prize first." Aaron laughed, waving to the bar stool next to him. "Your lucky, if you came any later I might not have a full bottle."

The man sat down in the stool, twisting so he faced the counter. Aaron filled both of the shot glasses with the clear burning liquid, sliding one to the other man. Hank moved back down to the two men, as soon as he saw the other man with a shot glass in his hand Hank started laughing. "Damn, so the prize was already taken! No, no." He raised his hands up in protest as Aaron offered him the bottle. "Saito here won. Surprisingly though, both of you never have company and now the two lone wolves are drinking together." He laughed, setting out a wooden bowl of peanuts. Hank moved back down the counter again as a new customer sat down.

"So, Saito is it? My name is Aaron." He poured himself another glass, setting down the bottle in between them.

Saito tipped back his own shot and poured himself another before he answered Aaron, "Yeah. I guess everyone that comes to Hank's tavern is a regular."

Aaron nodded, turning his glass this way and that in the dim light, watching the reflection of the clear substance. Aaron glanced out of the corner of his eye at the other man, he couldn't figure out if his eye was the only cyborized part of him or not. Did he want to give up his flesh and blood, to turn hightec, or was it the same as Aaron's own case.

Nothing to live for but the future. Nothing to live for but the next step. Nothing to live for but another breath.

Aaron downed the shot. He felt the burning go down his throat, an old, comforting feeling. Familiarity was built by spending time on something, and time was never kind. Aaron could be called an alcoholic, but he was almost never drunk, he had too high of tolerance, too much control.

"So, what line of work are you in Saito?" Aaron asked, staring at the clear glass in front of him.

"I'm actually just a handyman. You have to do what you can in the world, to make it in reality." Saito's face was blank, as if to say "work was work, it matters what you do with the rest of your life not the job."

Aaron downed another shot, feeling surer about himself. He had to ask the question burning inside him, "Did you chose . . . did you chose to be a cyborg?" Aaron tipped back another shot, how many was that? He had lost count, his thoughts where slower but the rational thinking behind them faded. He wanted to sleep, to be held, to do things he would never dare other wise.

Too close to freedom. Aaron pushed the bottle away, in his current state he was still in control. Control of your body and mind is what matters.

Aaron was lost inside himself until Saito put his hand on Aaron's shoulder. "Hey bud, are you alright?"

Aaron shook the hand off, but tried to smile when he turned his face toward the other man. "Yeah, yeah. I am good, too deep of thoughts for vodka." He laughed easily, make your body do what it has to, to survive in life.

Aaron's question was lost in the moment; he never noticed that it wasn't answered. Memories clouded his thoughts. Of a clouded sky painted in blood.


	2. Chapter 2

"Now's are chance. The Techno-line leading out of there is a private road that used to be a mountain pass. It's only farms and forests around there." The woman's voice was clear and crisp, commanding and use to being the one in command. She turned away from the computer screen, purple hair bouncing slightly around her face. "So we strike before the target gets off that road!" It was clear she was in command of the entire room. "Paz, check to see if any groups opposed to synthetic bodies or cyborization have claimed responsibility yet. Borma and Saito," Both men squared their shoulders a bit more when the Majors attention was on them, "you go on ahead and prepare for intercept on the Harima Techno-line. Set up a sniper point and stop it where it will cause minimal damage."

The two men bowed their heads and turned on their heels. The metal doors slid effortlessly open before them. Their heels clicked in unison as they walked away from the room. "What do you need, Saito?" The big man beside him asked, tilting his head slightly towards the other skinnier man.

"Just the usual load out. We need heavier ammunition then the flesh head bullets though." He answered without looking at the other man; his one eye seemed out of focus, not really seeing the hallways in front of him.

"Something wrong?" Borma still had his head tilted towards Saito.

"No…" He paused stopping in the middle of the bright hallway, forcing the bigger man to stop and turn around in front of him. "It can't be Aaron. He . . . he is not the person we should be keeping tabs on." His face was defiant, tight and with a shadowed expression.

"Then . . ." The larger man, searched for words that would not anger the other man, "Then you should report that to the Major." He said slowly.

"I know, I know!" He tried to control himself; he was more self-controlled then this, wasn't he? "It's just something about this. I don't like it, Borma. Something is wrong and Section 9 might not be able to do something fast enough." Where was all his military training? He breathed slowly, counting slowly to 5 before he was again calm. He couldn't figure out how he could be so worked up about this one case.

"Put it out of your mind, friend. We are needed now, for something we can do now." Borma tried to persuade the other man.

"Your right." He smiled lightly, "let's go. Full load out, 2nd rifle, exploding tipped anti tank bullets." Saito was back in control, his voice commanding.

The chopper hung wavering over the small cliff. Two ropes slid to the ground from the tan door. A tall slender man with shaved black hair slid down one of the ropes. Another man, larger and with a baldhead slid down the other rope, strapped to his back was a huge long ranged rifle.

They set up the small firing position with out talking. Saito unstrapped the long rifle from Borma's back and readied it on the ground. He spread out behind it in a military firing position, legs spread apart and angled to one side.

"Saito, what's your status?" The Major's voice sounded clear in his head. She was with the Tachikoma's, Section 9's mini tank division. The small tanks were painted blue and had a pod on the back allowing a human passanger.

"Almost ready." He replied.

"How's that?" Borma asked aloud, bolting the rifle to the ground. He stood up and got out of the way, standing slightly behind Saito.

"Major, stand clear!" Saito shouted inside of his head. Finding a perfect shot on the huge tank lumbering towards his position. Though the Major and the other Tachikoma's where still to close. The blue mini tanks where no match for it, but they might be the only thing left against it if they couldn't stop it here.

"Not yet. We'll wait until the last moment. I don't want to spook him." The Major's feminine voice sounded again in his head. The Tachikoma's had been able to follow the tank with no casualties, as long as they did not provoke the huge tank the tank did not open fire.

"Now linked with satellite. Major!" Saito thought, as his second eye opened, locking onto the tank below.

"Do it!" Major shouted, pulling the Tachikoma's back.

Saito pulled the trigger in one fluid motion. The tank avoided the shot effortlessly. He pulled the trigger again; sweat forming lightly on his brow. The tank once again avoided the shot effortlessly. "What happened?" The Major's voice commanded.

"Major, it's hacking into my Hawkeye data. Must have linked up with the satellite. I have only one chance visibly." He was not desperate, but he knew that this was the final chance he had on the tank, anything else he would endanger the Major and other Tachikomas.

Before he pulled the trigger the tank seemed to sense his change in strategy. Suddenly small containers fired from the tank, filling the air around it with smoke. "Shit." He said to Borma, the other man stood there without replying. He pulled the trigger. Watching as the tank broke out of the smoke with only a slight chip in its armor, nothing that would help the Major.

"Pull out of there and meet up with us." She did not sound disappointed; there was time yet to do their jobs.

"Yes ma'am." Saito and Borma said automatically together.

They got back into the chopper. "It might be headed into the city." The pilot told them, he had been listening in on the chatter from the others.

"Alright, get us in front of it. Borma, unpack that rocket launcher." He said in his rough voice. He hung onto a rung swaying in the wind that threatened to toss him out of the helicopter. He breathed in the harsh wind, trying to put his whole being into this one mission. But in the back of his mind, Aaron kept asking him if he chose to go cyborg or not.

The helicopter hung over the river, angled against the long bridge. "They should be coming around any time now!" The pilot shouted back to them, he was the only one who was tracking the tanks movements out of the three of them.

Then Saito saw it, the tan tank coming onto the bridge. It seemed so intent on getting to its destination. Saito threw the rocket launcher over his shoulder, looking through the laser sight at the tank. The large metal object came up clear and confident in the viewfinder. He locked on to the tank, but almost as soon as he did he gave a low curse. "It's impossible." He was staring at the lasers the tank was emitting, over its hard shell. "It'll send the thing right back at us, we can't hit it with rockets." He said, giving all the information to the Major.

Her voice came clear into his head, "pull out, there's not enough time for you to pick up something else. We have to leave it to the Chief that he gets something thrown together."

Saito packed up the rocket launcher, setting it in its black case. "Seems like they haven't given us all the information on this tank, Borma."

"Yeah I know, the Chief has just left in another helicopter, seems like he has something that can stop it. Too bad we didn't get this done on the country road, I hope we won't get casualties." The big man replied.

"The Major wont let that happen." He said, with complete trust in his commander. He stared out the choppers door, his mind turning over Aaron's case. Once they where all back at Section 9 he would have to tell her his thoughts on the case.

"Your still worried about your other mission, aren't you?" The big man asked, a light smile playing at his lips. "We have a run away tank that is…" He cocked his head to the side. "Never mind about the runaway tank, the Chief got there and with an anti tank weapon, Kenbishi, the company that owns the tank, stopped it. The Major seems to be the one that finally put it to rest though." He really did not know why he was telling the other man this; both could hear the chatter on the frequency.

Borma sighed as the chopper cut through the air, close to Section 9, "Just go one mission at a time Saito. It will keep you alive longer that way."


End file.
